Guitarist Jimmmy Page has long been thought to relish a reunion, but barring a change of heart from Plant, fans will have to make do with the memory of a brief 2007 get-together at London's 02 Arena.

"It was an amazing evening," Plant says. "The preparations for it were fraught and intense, but the last rehearsal was really, really good, for all that it represented and all that we were trying to capture.

"But I've gone so far somewhere else that I almost can't relate to it...It's a bit of a pain in the pisser to be honest. Who cares? I know people care, but think about it from my angle — soon, I'm going to need help crossing the street."

Rampaging Rockers and Mad Musicians

Plant and Alison Krauss had a surprise smash in 2007, with "Raising Sand," but efforts at a follow-up have fallen flat. "The sound wasn't there," says Plant.

Joining Page to perform such classics as "Stairway to Heaven," "Kashmir" and "Houses of the Holy" just doesn't do it for Plant.

"There's nothing worse than a bunch of jaded old farts, and that's a fact," he says. "People who have written their story — they've gotten to the point where nothing moves. I don't deal in that, and I don't deal with anybody who deals in that."